Control wheel



Dec. 5, 1939. R CHM-'0N 2,182,658

CONTROL WHEEL Filed Feb. 7, 1959 l N V E N TO R EOM/vp 67m mv ATTORNEY Patented Der. s, 1939 s 2,182,658 if orlcE coN'moL WHEELV Roland Chilton, Ridgewood, N. J. Application February 7, 1939, serial No. 254,991

9 claims. (o1. 74471 My invention relates to control mechanism for pulleys I6 are conformed to the pitch circle of vehicles, and more particularly to mechanism the cable so that when the cable is tightened at for controlling the ailerons and elevators of airassembly the Wheel is held into firm rolling conplanes. tact with the pulleys. This contact with the A In airplanes, for example, the normal pilots pulleys prevents upward and lateral movement 5f control comprises a spoked wheel mounted on a of the wheel, while downward displacement is yoke so that the lower part of the wheel rim clears prevented by the tension on the cable which the pilots knees. In this conventional disposireacts to maintain the rolling contact. tion, the wheel, hub, bearing, supporting struc- In this simple rudder control (designed espel0, ture and spokes usually interfere with the pilots cially for boat installation) the swivelling of the 1:0 view of the instrument board, and in boats and pulley supporting/forks I8 has no control funcautomobiles, the upper part of the wheel rim tion and is included for convenience in permitoften interferes with the straight-ahead vision tingthe pilot to move the wheel fore and aft to of the operator. To overcome these objections, the most comfortable position and to permit him 1.5 and especially in airplanes, both spokeless Wheels to push the wheel forward against the instruand segmental wheels, wherein the upper part ment board for convenience in entering and of the Wheel rim is omitted, have been proposed, leaving the seat. and in many instances adopted. Such wheels It will now be seen that With this disposition are usually mounted on annular roller track the area of the windshield 24 immediately ahead means supported on a rocking column passing of the pilot is entirely unobscured by wheel 20 between the pilots knees, and from which track spokes, hub or supportingl structure and that means the rim is supported on stumps or the the upper part of the Wheel is above the pilots like to aiord the pilot a satisfactory hand grip. line of vision. Similarly, there is a minimum Neither 0f these types 0f steering wheel can be of interference with the pilots View of the vari- 25 Sad t0 be entirely Satisfactory ous instruments indicated diagrammatically 25 As Will be readily understood from the follow- 3,1; 26,.` ing description, the present invention contem- Figs, 3 and 4 Show an embodiment suitable plates a much simplified Structure wherein al1 for airplanes wherein the fore and aft wheel of me advantages 0f acleal' Vision Control 0F motion may be connected to operate elevators. Steermg Wheet are provlded' In these gures elements corresponding to those 30 Fgthleirvlammac cross Section thr ugh in Fig. 1 have been indicated by corresponding 0 reference numerals with the addition of the Wheel-house of a boat embodying, the inven- Sux (a) Thus, the Wheel rim |0 a engages 1o pulleys l-a mounted 1n a locking cross-yoke ig 2 1S 111 dsaueg fagfmgltall'ylleupa'rt 28 supported in trunnion bearings 30 secured 35 Sec. 101111. on et H116 UIT .O 1g' l us la mg 9 to the cabin structure 32-a. The cable lll-a oetfioral gram through the cock passes over the pulleys lli-L aromil gie vheel ion an pit of an airplane incorporating a fore-and-aft goma taledlelegils cglrllrdly the galerons 40 elevator control motion in addition to rotation- (not shown) 40 al 12116159 corrflqnovennt angh 1. -4 4 f In this aileron and elevator control embodi- Fg 1s a e al e sec lon on e me o ment, however, the yoke 28 is made of channel tion to embrace the upper segment of the Referring iirst to Fig. l, a spokeless wheel rlm Sec .d l2 2 Wheel and 1s provided with a .plurality of gui e u has a V groove (see Flg formed m lts rollers 34 engaging opposed sldes of the upper 45 exterior circumference to receive a control cable I 4. The cable passes over two correspondingly p0rno of the Wheel by Whlch means any swing* grooved pulleys I6 Carried' in forks lg having ing motion of the Wheel is imparted to the yoke. trunnions 2o (Fig. 2) journalled in brackets 22 A Suitable lever 36 Secured t0 one 0f the yoke suitably secured to the upper pari; of the cabin trunnions 30 cooperates w1th the usual elevator 50 structure 32. It also passes through the hollow 001113101.

trunnions 20 of the grooved pulleys I6 and It will now be seen that, by the novel proviaround the lower and major part of the circumsions of this invention, a spokeless wheel is susference of the wheel. pended for rotary and fore-and-aft control mo- The iiange diameters of `the wheel I 0 and tions, in a simple structure which offers no inter- 55 ference with the operators view, and that the normal control column is eliminated.

I am aware that stick controls depending from the cabin roof have been used to eliminate interference with the pilots knees, but as far as I am aware, this is the rst proposal to apply this disposition to a wheel type control.

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes.

I claim as my invention:

1. A control wheel comprising a spokeless hand rim having a cable groove therein, a pair of grooved pulleys in rolling contact with said rim, and a control cable wrapped in tension around said rim and pulleys to maintain such rolling contact.

2. Control means including a pair of guide pulleys, an annular rim cooperating with said pulleys, and a control cable wrapped around said rim and pulleys and forming therewith the supporting means for said rim.

3. A control means including a control cable, a rim embraced by the cable to comprise a hand wheel, and supporting pulleys from which the cable pays-orf onto said rim and whereby the rim is located in rolling Contact with the pulleys.

4. Control means including a pair of spaced pulleys, a pivotally mounted yoke carrying said pulleys for swinging movement, a spokeless control wheel rim in rolling contact with said pulleys, a first control'cable passed around said rim and pulleys and leading o coaxially with said pivot mounting responsively to rotation of said wheel, and a second control means responsive to swinging movement of said wheel and yoke.

5. Control means including a swinging yoke member, aspokeless hand rim depending from said member, guide rollers mounted in said member and engaging opposed sides of saidrim whereby swinging movement of said rim is communicated to the yoke, a pair of pulleys mounted in said yoke in rolling contact with the circumfer-v ence of said rim, a first control cable wrapped laround said rim and pulleys for operationvby rotation of the rim, and a second control means operated by fore and aft swinging of said yoke and rim.

In an operators control for a vehicle having a cabin, a spokeless wheel rim disposed for the operator to have forward vision therethrough, af transverse yoke swingingly supported in said cabin above the operators line of vision, rollers in said yoke engaging said rim for swinging motionfthereof with the yoke, a pair of pulleys in rolling contact with the circumference of said rim, a control cable wrapped around `said rim and pulleys and effective to maintain said contact, and further control means operated by swinging motion of said yoke. l

7. A control means including apair of pulleys, means mounting said pulleys for swinging action about a transverse axis above the horizontal vision line of an operator, a first control cable having a loop depending between said pulleys, and an operators control rim embraced by said loop and held thereby in rolling vcontact with said pulleys.

8. A control means including a pair of pulleys, means mounting said pulleys for swinging action about a transverse axis above the horizontal vision line of an operator, a rst control cable having a loop depending between said pulleys, an operators control rim embraced by said loop and held thereby in rolling contact with said pulleys,

and a second control means operated by said` swinging action. f

9. A supporting means for a spokeless rotatable hand wheel comprising a pair of pulleys in rolling contact with the wheel, and a control cable wrapped around said Wheel and pulleys.

ROLAND CHILTON. 

